After Eyron hastily left his home, Rand quickly returned to what he was doing before his arrival: cultivation. He spent the next two days completely immersed in meditation, only briefly pausing to satisfy basic human needs with the food and water he had brought with him in advance.
Although Rand longed to rid himself of this mortal weakness that senselessly consumed his time, with his current low level of cultivation, he was not yet able to completely forgo food. For now, he could only go without it for longer than an ordinary person who had never embarked on the path to immortality. As he advanced through the levels of Qi Condensation, Rand would gradually require less and less food. However, he would only be able to completely eliminate the need for food and water by absorbing Qi energy once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
During this short cultivation session, Rand consumed two Qi Accumulation pills every seven to eight hours. Such "generous" use of expensive pills allowed him to reach the second level of Qi Condensation just seven hours after Eyron's departure. The moment he ascended to this new level, his dantian began to rapidly expand, causing the flow of Qi circulating through his body to widen and his body to be filled with fresh, newly acquired strength.
However, upon reaching this new height, Rand did not end his meditation. Instead, he continued cultivating further. It was only towards the evening of the second day, when all the Qi Accumulation pills he had were exhausted, that Rand stopped absorbing Qi energy and opened his eyes.
Standing up, he tried to thoroughly sense all the changes that had occurred in his body after reaching the second level. To more accurately feel the transformations in his body, he began practicing some forms from the Dancing Dragon martial art. Fortunately, the space required for this was minimal, and he did not even have to leave his house. By comparing the quality of his current movements with those he could perform a few days ago, Rand was able to more or less accurately measure the changes in his body.
"The amount of my Qi stored in the dantian has increased by approximately thirty percent, and as I thought, my strength, speed, and other attributes have grown proportionally with the increase in Qi. Hmm, if I had enough pills, I could reach the third level in just a few more days, but reaching the fourth level would take much longer. The transition between the first, second, and third levels in Qi Condensation is quite simple, as is the transition between the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh, eighth, and ninth level, especially if you have enough talent and resources. However, advancing from the third to the fourth level and from the sixth to the seventh is much more difficult and requires several times more energy than an ordinary step-by-step transition, but it also gives a greater increase in strength.
Perhaps, that's enough thinking about it for now. There will be more time for that later. And now, if I want to get everything done, it's time to head to the city to check the availability of the items I need in the city's shops, since my old ring has nothing suitable. Then, I'll have to go for the spirit stones...
Before leaving the house, Rand briefly considered whether he should wear his armor.
"Walking around the city unnoticed won't be possible because at least in several stores, they'll require my sect membership token to access important sections. But even if I don't try to be inconspicuous, the armor will attract far too much unwanted attention. Much more than any robe of a Fire Dragon Sect member. So, I'll better leave it in the ring."
Instead of his armor, Rand put on his artifact robe and under it the artifact bracelet that Moraine had given him. These artifacts were unlikely to be needed during this trip, but wearing them granted him a certain status, which would simplify the execution of his plans.
After finishing his preparations, Rand immediately left his home and set off. First, he walked down the road to the portal arch, used it, and found himself near the outer defensive wall surrounding the sect. From there, he headed to the nearest gate leading outside.
"It's a pity that I can't fly yet. Such an ability would save me a lot of time on travel, but unfortunately, techniques or artifacts that make it possible to fly always require such a vast amount of Qi that a practitioner at the Qi Condensation stage can’t effectively use them. Even if I had a suitable artifact now, I could only use it for a few minutes or even less before the Qi in my dantian was exhausted."
Lost in these seemingly unattainable dreams of flight, Rand approached the sect's exit, a double gate depicting dragons flying in the sky. The entrance was guarded by two disciples, who were meditating while simultaneously acting as gatekeepers. An ordinary person might think that such guards, immersed in cultivation, would be useless and not notice a crowd passing by, but they would be gravely mistaken. Indeed, beginner cultivators can be entirely absorbed in meditation and not notice what is happening around them. However, over time, almost every cultivator develops the skill of "divided attention," which allows them to remain vigilant and observe their surroundings while meditating. These disciples of course possessed that skill.
As soon as Rand was within a few hundred meters of the gatekeepers, they came out of meditation and opened their eyes. After waiting for Rand to approach them closely enough, they began to question him about his reasons for leaving the sect, where he was going, and how long he planned to be away. After learning and recording all this information, the disciples allowed him to pass through the gates.
All novices must go through such a survey. Sect members with the rank of disciple or higher can choose to skip it. This procedure is not done without reason; it ensures that in case of unforeseen circumstances, the sect can rescue the young novice. For example, if a novice is significantly delayed and does not return within the time they specified, the sect will send several people to search for them.
Thanks to this survey, it will be much easier for the sect to locate the novice. If this information does not help in finding the novice, the sect will have to resort to much more costly search methods.
For instance, the sect has the ability to determine the location and condition of a member through their personal "soul imprint." Elder Minos secretly creates such an imprint for each novice upon their admission to the sect. With this imprint, the sect can determine if a member is alive or dead and, in the case of death, even identify their killer.
After passing through the gates and leaving the sect's territory, Rand stepped onto the stone road leading to the City of Fire. To avoid wasting time, he immediately started running at a light pace, but even at this leisurely jog, his speed was already almost unattainable for mortal runners.
About forty minutes into his run, Rand reached the outskirts of the City of Fire. Sunset was approaching, but there was still a huge, slowly moving queue at the city's main gate, most of which would obviously not make it into the city before the day ended. However, Rand paid no attention to this throng of people, animals, and carts, as his current status allowed him to simply bypass it and pass through the gates directly, which he intended to do.
The sect ensured that its members enjoyed numerous privileges in the City of Fire, and skipping the queue at the gates was one of the least significant of them. However, when Rand was only a few dozen steps away from entering the city, he suddenly noticed a recent acquaintance in the distance. Deciding that a conversation with him wouldn't take too much time, Rand abruptly turned and headed straight towards him, standing by the smaller gate. There was a queue there as well, albeit shorter, but Rand, of course, calmly walked past it. Some of the people, who had been waiting for hours, noticed someone trying to bypass them and wanted to stop Rand to explain "his proper place," but at the mere sight of Rand's sect attire, they immediately abandoned this suicidal idea.
The guards at the smaller gate, upon seeing an approaching sect novice, humbly lowered their heads in a slight bow. One of them, who usually recorded the details of city visitors and collected fees, noticed Rand's face and swallowed loudly, lowering his head even further, hoping Rand wouldn't pay him any attention.
But to his horror, Rand walked straight towards him, ignoring everyone else. Seeing that Rand was only a few meters away and realizing that an encounter was inevitable, the guard greeted Rand in a trembling voice.
"Greetings, esteemed novice of the great sect, how may I serve you?"
This trembling guard was the same one who had recently met Rand when he was just an ordinary mortal and had treated him disrespectfully at these very gates.
Instead of responding to the greeting, Rand walked up to him and slapped him with half strength, causing the guard to fly several meters and fall to the ground, spitting blood along with broken teeth. The only thing that saved the guard from more severe injury or even death was that he was also a cultivator, albeit a minor one, only at the first level of Qi Condensation.
"Remember this, lowlife. Since you call yourself a guard of this city, you must always treat its visitors with respect. If I see such behavior again, I will simply kill you," Rand told the struggling guard.
"Honorable novice, but for what reason..." attempted to object the guard’s partner, apparently the senior among them. However, when Rand fixed his stern gaze on him, the rest of the words stuck in the guard captain’s throat.
Rand, knowing the laws that required him to explain his actions to the guards, calmly responded to the unfinished question.
"He recently insulted a member of the sect and deserved punishment. Is this explanation sufficient for the guards of the City of Fire? Or do you need evidence?"
"No, no, of course not. No one doubts that you speak the truth, esteemed novice. We already understand that it is entirely his fault. Thank you for teaching him proper manners and for your mercy in his punishment," the guard captain nervously muttered.
Having said this to Rand, the captain approached his struggling to stand up colleague and hissed in his ear, "Apologize to him right now." The guard fell down again, but this time on his knees, begging for forgiveness:
"Forgive me, I am sorry… Thank you for sparing me."
Rand didn't respond, simply turning and continuing his way through the smaller gate. Within seconds, he dismissed the existence of the guard from his mind, fully immersing himself in thoughts about his next steps.
"First, I need to see what items I need are available in the city's shops and stores. I also need to find a suitable tamed beast at the Foundation Establishment stage and find a foolish and greedy idiot who will make all these purchases for me."
Even after obtaining the money, Rand did not intend to make such large purchases himself. Looking at expensive items to broaden his horizons was more than acceptable for someone with his status as a novice and a disciple of an elder. However, if he somehow managed to acquire an item worth thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones, it would immediately arouse suspicion among shop owners. Considering that the entire city, and therefore all its shops, were connected to the sect, news of such a costly purchase would quickly reach the sect's top echelons. The consequences for Rand could be quite unpleasant. Moreover, it wasn't just the sect that could keep an eye on young people with large sums of money…
Entering the city, Rand immediately headed to one of the main streets, as he knew that this was where the most prestigious and expensive stores selling cultivation-related items were located. Approaching the street, he began to notice significant differences between this area and the rest of the city. The most noticeable difference was that none of the shops or stalls were closed, even though the sun was almost set. In other parts of the city, most simple shops and stores were either closed or in the process of closing. This difference in working hours was because cultivators did not make much distinction between day and night and could decide to buy something at any time. Vendors adapted to this and started working around the clock.
Another notable difference was that everywhere, above each shop and store, there were colorful signs, some of which sparkled and shimmered with various colors. The largest stores even had simple illusion formations decorating the exterior of the buildings. This was to show their status and attract customers. For the same purpose, the names of major stores were made as noticeable and memorable as possible. Passing by, Rand noticed several particularly grandiose names:
"Shop of Wondrous Pills",
"Armory of Weapons Worthy of the Immortal",
"Artifacts of Unbreakable Defense".
The smaller shops had simpler names for some reason:
"Barrot's Herbs, Pills, and Healing",
"Weaponry of Gon and Sons".
In the central part of this street stood one of the city's most important buildings — the main auction house. If lucky, one could buy extraordinary items there that were impossible to acquire through regular means.
But the auction was not Rand's goal this time. Instead, he walked through the regular shops and stalls. As a sect novice, he was warmly welcomed in each place and allowed to inspect their entire inventory. The shopkeepers were eager to tell Rand what they had in stock and what they did not, each boasting the lowest prices around. Rand found several items that could be useful for his upcoming "hunt."
He was most interested in: the Light Distorter Talisman, which, when infused with Qi, distorts light around the holder for several dozen minutes, making the talisman owner practically invisible to the naked eye over a long distance. Such an item would be invaluable if not for its serious flaws. For example, its main drawback was that it was completely useless against spiritual sense or special visual techniques.
Knowing this weakness, Rand searched for something that could complement it. He was surprised to find one of the best items to compensate for the talisman's weaknesses. This item was the Spiritual Invisibility Pill, made from the essence of Invisible Spiders, known for their undetectability to spiritual sense. Usually, such a pill could only be bought at auctions for a huge amount of money. Rand did not expect to find it here, planning to substitute it with large ingots of cold iron, often used as a low-quality replacement for such a pill.
Another find was the Odor Eliminator potion, which would come in handy when using Eyron's potion.
All three of these items had one thing in common — their enormous, unattainable cost for Rand. The Spiritual Invisibility Pill, in particular, stood out with its price "with a seller's discount" equaling twenty thousand low-quality spirit stones. For such a sum, one could buy a weak spiritual artifact.
Besides these three items, he also picked out several relatively cheap single-use talismans with simple techniques, one of which, called the Speech Transmitter, he even bought for a hundred spirit stones. Such a small purchase was something he could afford, and it wouldn't draw any attention. He bought it only because he would need this talisman tonight.
But the main goal of his trip to the city was still ahead. All the previous items he picked out were just supplements to what he intended to find at the city's only beast store, majestically named "Heavenly Beasts." That was where Rand headed next.
I am glad to inform you that starting today, you can support me and my book while also gaining early access to new chapters. You can do this by following the link and purchasing a subscription:
https://boosty.to/wayofthecultivator/donate
This is entirely voluntary. Even if you don't have the financial means to support me, you will still be able to read all the chapters in the future.
After Eyron hastily left his home, Rand quickly returned to what he was doing before his arrival: cultivation. He spent the next two days completely immersed in meditation, only briefly pausing to satisfy basic human needs with the food and water he had brought with him in advance.
Although Rand longed to rid himself of this mortal weakness that senselessly consumed his time, with his current low level of cultivation, he was not yet able to completely forgo food. For now, he could only go without it for longer than an ordinary person who had never embarked on the path to immortality. As he advanced through the levels of Qi Condensation, Rand would gradually require less and less food. However, he would only be able to completely eliminate the need for food and water by absorbing Qi energy once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
During this short cultivation session, Rand consumed two Qi Accumulation pills every seven to eight hours. Such "generous" use of expensive pills allowed him to reach the second level of Qi Condensation just seven hours after Eyron's departure. The moment he ascended to this new level, his dantian began to rapidly expand, causing the flow of Qi circulating through his body to widen and his body to be filled with fresh, newly acquired strength.
However, upon reaching this new height, Rand did not end his meditation. Instead, he continued cultivating further. It was only towards the evening of the second day, when all the Qi Accumulation pills he had were exhausted, that Rand stopped absorbing Qi energy and opened his eyes.
Standing up, he tried to thoroughly sense all the changes that had occurred in his body after reaching the second level. To more accurately feel the transformations in his body, he began practicing some forms from the Dancing Dragon martial art. Fortunately, the space required for this was minimal, and he did not even have to leave his house. By comparing the quality of his current movements with those he could perform a few days ago, Rand was able to more or less accurately measure the changes in his body.
"The amount of my Qi stored in the dantian has increased by approximately thirty percent, and as I thought, my strength, speed, and other attributes have grown proportionally with the increase in Qi. Hmm, if I had enough pills, I could reach the third level in just a few more days, but reaching the fourth level would take much longer. The transition between the first, second, and third levels in Qi Condensation is quite simple, as is the transition between the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh, eighth, and ninth level, especially if you have enough talent and resources. However, advancing from the third to the fourth level and from the sixth to the seventh is much more difficult and requires several times more energy than an ordinary step-by-step transition, but it also gives a greater increase in strength.
Perhaps, that's enough thinking about it for now. There will be more time for that later. And now, if I want to get everything done, it's time to head to the city to check the availability of the items I need in the city's shops, since my old ring has nothing suitable. Then, I'll have to go for the spirit stones...
Before leaving the house, Rand briefly considered whether he should wear his armor.
"Walking around the city unnoticed won't be possible because at least in several stores, they'll require my sect membership token to access important sections. But even if I don't try to be inconspicuous, the armor will attract far too much unwanted attention. Much more than any robe of a Fire Dragon Sect member. So, I'll better leave it in the ring."
Instead of his armor, Rand put on his artifact robe and under it the artifact bracelet that Moraine had given him. These artifacts were unlikely to be needed during this trip, but wearing them granted him a certain status, which would simplify the execution of his plans.
After finishing his preparations, Rand immediately left his home and set off. First, he walked down the road to the portal arch, used it, and found himself near the outer defensive wall surrounding the sect. From there, he headed to the nearest gate leading outside.
"It's a pity that I can't fly yet. Such an ability would save me a lot of time on travel, but unfortunately, techniques or artifacts that make it possible to fly always require such a vast amount of Qi that a practitioner at the Qi Condensation stage can’t effectively use them. Even if I had a suitable artifact now, I could only use it for a few minutes or even less before the Qi in my dantian was exhausted."
Lost in these seemingly unattainable dreams of flight, Rand approached the sect's exit, a double gate depicting dragons flying in the sky. The entrance was guarded by two disciples, who were meditating while simultaneously acting as gatekeepers. An ordinary person might think that such guards, immersed in cultivation, would be useless and not notice a crowd passing by, but they would be gravely mistaken. Indeed, beginner cultivators can be entirely absorbed in meditation and not notice what is happening around them. However, over time, almost every cultivator develops the skill of "divided attention," which allows them to remain vigilant and observe their surroundings while meditating. These disciples of course possessed that skill.
As soon as Rand was within a few hundred meters of the gatekeepers, they came out of meditation and opened their eyes. After waiting for Rand to approach them closely enough, they began to question him about his reasons for leaving the sect, where he was going, and how long he planned to be away. After learning and recording all this information, the disciples allowed him to pass through the gates.
All novices must go through such a survey. Sect members with the rank of disciple or higher can choose to skip it. This procedure is not done without reason; it ensures that in case of unforeseen circumstances, the sect can rescue the young novice. For example, if a novice is significantly delayed and does not return within the time they specified, the sect will send several people to search for them.
Thanks to this survey, it will be much easier for the sect to locate the novice. If this information does not help in finding the novice, the sect will have to resort to much more costly search methods.
For instance, the sect has the ability to determine the location and condition of a member through their personal "soul imprint." Elder Minos secretly creates such an imprint for each novice upon their admission to the sect. With this imprint, the sect can determine if a member is alive or dead and, in the case of death, even identify their killer.
After passing through the gates and leaving the sect's territory, Rand stepped onto the stone road leading to the City of Fire. To avoid wasting time, he immediately started running at a light pace, but even at this leisurely jog, his speed was already almost unattainable for mortal runners.
About forty minutes into his run, Rand reached the outskirts of the City of Fire. Sunset was approaching, but there was still a huge, slowly moving queue at the city's main gate, most of which would obviously not make it into the city before the day ended. However, Rand paid no attention to this throng of people, animals, and carts, as his current status allowed him to simply bypass it and pass through the gates directly, which he intended to do.
The sect ensured that its members enjoyed numerous privileges in the City of Fire, and skipping the queue at the gates was one of the least significant of them. However, when Rand was only a few dozen steps away from entering the city, he suddenly noticed a recent acquaintance in the distance. Deciding that a conversation with him wouldn't take too much time, Rand abruptly turned and headed straight towards him, standing by the smaller gate. There was a queue there as well, albeit shorter, but Rand, of course, calmly walked past it. Some of the people, who had been waiting for hours, noticed someone trying to bypass them and wanted to stop Rand to explain "his proper place," but at the mere sight of Rand's sect attire, they immediately abandoned this suicidal idea.
The guards at the smaller gate, upon seeing an approaching sect novice, humbly lowered their heads in a slight bow. One of them, who usually recorded the details of city visitors and collected fees, noticed Rand's face and swallowed loudly, lowering his head even further, hoping Rand wouldn't pay him any attention.
But to his horror, Rand walked straight towards him, ignoring everyone else. Seeing that Rand was only a few meters away and realizing that an encounter was inevitable, the guard greeted Rand in a trembling voice.
"Greetings, esteemed novice of the great sect, how may I serve you?"
This trembling guard was the same one who had recently met Rand when he was just an ordinary mortal and had treated him disrespectfully at these very gates.
Instead of responding to the greeting, Rand walked up to him and slapped him with half strength, causing the guard to fly several meters and fall to the ground, spitting blood along with broken teeth. The only thing that saved the guard from more severe injury or even death was that he was also a cultivator, albeit a minor one, only at the first level of Qi Condensation.
"Remember this, lowlife. Since you call yourself a guard of this city, you must always treat its visitors with respect. If I see such behavior again, I will simply kill you," Rand told the struggling guard.
"Honorable novice, but for what reason..." attempted to object the guard’s partner, apparently the senior among them. However, when Rand fixed his stern gaze on him, the rest of the words stuck in the guard captain’s throat.
Rand, knowing the laws that required him to explain his actions to the guards, calmly responded to the unfinished question.
"He recently insulted a member of the sect and deserved punishment. Is this explanation sufficient for the guards of the City of Fire? Or do you need evidence?"
"No, no, of course not. No one doubts that you speak the truth, esteemed novice. We already understand that it is entirely his fault. Thank you for teaching him proper manners and for your mercy in his punishment," the guard captain nervously muttered.
Having said this to Rand, the captain approached his struggling to stand up colleague and hissed in his ear, "Apologize to him right now." The guard fell down again, but this time on his knees, begging for forgiveness:
"Forgive me, I am sorry… Thank you for sparing me."
Rand didn't respond, simply turning and continuing his way through the smaller gate. Within seconds, he dismissed the existence of the guard from his mind, fully immersing himself in thoughts about his next steps.
"First, I need to see what items I need are available in the city's shops and stores. I also need to find a suitable tamed beast at the Foundation Establishment stage and find a foolish and greedy idiot who will make all these purchases for me."
Even after obtaining the money, Rand did not intend to make such large purchases himself. Looking at expensive items to broaden his horizons was more than acceptable for someone with his status as a novice and a disciple of an elder. However, if he somehow managed to acquire an item worth thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones, it would immediately arouse suspicion among shop owners. Considering that the entire city, and therefore all its shops, were connected to the sect, news of such a costly purchase would quickly reach the sect's top echelons. The consequences for Rand could be quite unpleasant. Moreover, it wasn't just the sect that could keep an eye on young people with large sums of money…
Entering the city, Rand immediately headed to one of the main streets, as he knew that this was where the most prestigious and expensive stores selling cultivation-related items were located. Approaching the street, he began to notice significant differences between this area and the rest of the city. The most noticeable difference was that none of the shops or stalls were closed, even though the sun was almost set. In other parts of the city, most simple shops and stores were either closed or in the process of closing. This difference in working hours was because cultivators did not make much distinction between day and night and could decide to buy something at any time. Vendors adapted to this and started working around the clock.
Another notable difference was that everywhere, above each shop and store, there were colorful signs, some of which sparkled and shimmered with various colors. The largest stores even had simple illusion formations decorating the exterior of the buildings. This was to show their status and attract customers. For the same purpose, the names of major stores were made as noticeable and memorable as possible. Passing by, Rand noticed several particularly grandiose names:
"Shop of Wondrous Pills",
"Armory of Weapons Worthy of the Immortal",
"Artifacts of Unbreakable Defense".
The smaller shops had simpler names for some reason:
"Barrot's Herbs, Pills, and Healing",
"Weaponry of Gon and Sons".
In the central part of this street stood one of the city's most important buildings — the main auction house. If lucky, one could buy extraordinary items there that were impossible to acquire through regular means.
But the auction was not Rand's goal this time. Instead, he walked through the regular shops and stalls. As a sect novice, he was warmly welcomed in each place and allowed to inspect their entire inventory. The shopkeepers were eager to tell Rand what they had in stock and what they did not, each boasting the lowest prices around. Rand found several items that could be useful for his upcoming "hunt."
He was most interested in: the Light Distorter Talisman, which, when infused with Qi, distorts light around the holder for several dozen minutes, making the talisman owner practically invisible to the naked eye over a long distance. Such an item would be invaluable if not for its serious flaws. For example, its main drawback was that it was completely useless against spiritual sense or special visual techniques.
Knowing this weakness, Rand searched for something that could complement it. He was surprised to find one of the best items to compensate for the talisman's weaknesses. This item was the Spiritual Invisibility Pill, made from the essence of Invisible Spiders, known for their undetectability to spiritual sense. Usually, such a pill could only be bought at auctions for a huge amount of money. Rand did not expect to find it here, planning to substitute it with large ingots of cold iron, often used as a low-quality replacement for such a pill.
Another find was the Odor Eliminator potion, which would come in handy when using Eyron's potion.
All three of these items had one thing in common — their enormous, unattainable cost for Rand. The Spiritual Invisibility Pill, in particular, stood out with its price "with a seller's discount" equaling twenty thousand low-quality spirit stones. For such a sum, one could buy a weak spiritual artifact.
Besides these three items, he also picked out several relatively cheap single-use talismans with simple techniques, one of which, called the Speech Transmitter, he even bought for a hundred spirit stones. Such a small purchase was something he could afford, and it wouldn't draw any attention. He bought it only because he would need this talisman tonight.
But the main goal of his trip to the city was still ahead. All the previous items he picked out were just supplements to what he intended to find at the city's only beast store, majestically named "Heavenly Beasts." That was where Rand headed next.
I am glad to inform you that starting today, you can support me and my book while also gaining early access to new chapters. You can do this by following the link and purchasing a subscription:
https://boosty.to/wayofthecultivator/donate
This is entirely voluntary. Even if you don't have the financial means to support me, you will still be able to read all the chapters in the future.
